Chapter 350: A Chilling Conjecture

After briefly explaining the situation to the organizer of the volunteer activity, Jie Ming left that sunny beach expressionlessly.

The results of the probing had settled.

That "Wei Aola" had a very high probability of being the real person.

Jie Ming was quite confident in his judgment.

He didn't consider himself a pervert and couldn't conceive out of thin air the unique "pleasure" mindset Wei Aola had, which fed on the pain of others.

Among those two million fallen wizards, freaks like Senior Sister Wei Aola, who integrated bad taste into their souls and put it into practice, were probably one in a million and difficult to replicate.

So, just looking at the "uniqueness" and "completeness" of her behavioral logic, the possibility that Wei Aola was the real person was extremely high.

And more conclusive evidence came from that final punch.

Jie Ming had confirmed very early on that although their supernatural powers were suppressed, they were still using their own bodies.

Living in this world for a long time, the body would remember new habits and conditioned reflexes (such as operating light screens).

But at the same time, the combat instincts left behind by past tempering had not been completely extinguished.

This point could be seen from the fact that he could still perform exquisite combat techniques.

The speed, angle, and explosive power of the punch he threw were far beyond the reaction limits of ordinary people.

And Wei Aola's swift, almost instinctive dodge was definitely not something an ordinary company employee or community volunteer could possess.

That was a combat consciousness carved into the bones, a brand left behind after being tempered by life and death.

"Confirmed, at least Senior Sister Wei Aola is the real person." Then, other familiar faces "most likely are the same."

The problem followed: "What—should I do next?"

Jie Ming walked on the way back, his brow slightly furrowed.

The ultimate goal was naturally to explore the truth of this plane and find a way to escape.

But this goal was too grand and needed to be taken step by step, keeping his feet on the ground.

He needed a more specific, more actionable phased goal.

"Finding the loopholes in this world," and—"the purpose of the mastermind trapping us here," Jie Ming set a direction in his heart.

A system so vast, precise, and capable of trapping millions of powerful existences could never be perfect, nor could it be without reason.

Implementing it specifically meant that he needed to continue the kind of crazy learning and observation he had done before for a long time to come.

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, another year passed.

Jie Ming was sitting in a small restaurant with stylish decor, famous for its "molecular cuisine."

He was lowering his head, tasting an appetizer with a beautiful presentation and rich layers of flavor.

His movements were elegant, and his eyes were observing his surroundings without revealing anything.

——

His gaze was especially focused on the head chef behind the open kitchen who was concentrating on cooking.

That was a sturdy middle-aged man with a meticulously groomed beard; the other party had sharp eyes and demanded the ultimate for every process, occasionally casting a highly oppressive glance due to a small mistake by an assistant.

He was quite famous in the local food circle, hailed as the "Tyrant of Taste," known for his extreme pursuit of ingredients and seasoning.

Jie Ming had clearly seen this face in the image data of pre-war intelligence—one of the three supreme commanders of the First Expeditionary Force, a Tier 7 combat wizard known for his bravery, brutality, and expertise in large-scale legion warfare, "Blood Butcher" Baal!

And now, this powerful existence who could decide the life and death of a plane with a wave of his hand was here, obsessed with controlling heat, mixing sauces, and addicted to creating art on the tip of the tongue.

Jie Ming was no longer surprised by this.

Just like the gentle and patient elementary school teacher he "happened to encounter" yesterday.

After a period of observation and probing, it could basically be determined that the other party was originally a knowledgeable wizard who could be called a master in the field of potionology.

When that teacher led elementary students to do the simplest chemical experiments, the flowing operation of equipment and the almost instinctive precise grasp of dosage and reaction timing were definitely not qualities an ordinary elementary school teacher could possess.

Muscle memory and professional habits could not be covered up.

However, as the observation deepened over the past year, a more unsettling question gradually emerged in Jie Ming's heart, replacing the slight relief of finding "kindred spirits."

The number of "fallen ones" in this world seemed to far exceed his estimates!

At first, he only paid attention to those "familiar faces" he had seen once or had image data of in the Expeditionary Force intelligence.

But as time passed and the scope of observation expanded, relying on his experience, he began to be able to distinguish other individuals he was slightly more familiar with from the vast sea of people.

They might be engaged in various ordinary occupations, but they would always reveal traces belonging to "strong people" or "experts" at certain inadvertent moments.

According to his rough estimation and judgment, just in this city, the density of "real people" he could find had already far exceeded the range that the number two million could cover!

Even counting all the wizards fallen here and the contract creatures that might have been involved, this order of magnitude seemed a bit exaggerated.

Jie Ming gently poked the food on the plate, which looked like a work of art, with a fork, but his eyes became increasingly solemn.

"So—are there other unknown, unlucky civilizations that invaded here earlier, also fallen on this plane?"

"Or—among these 'real people' I see, are there actually a large number of 'indigenous people' of this plane mixed in?"

If it was the latter, what did that mean?

Did it mean that this plane was not a pure "trap," and it might itself possess a huge population and a complex social structure?

And were they, these wizards, just "implanted" into this society, replacing certain original roles, or playing newly added roles?

Even the worst possibility was that the number of real people in this world was overwhelmingly high.

The possibility of this conjecture made Jie Ming feel a chill.

If even the seemingly ordinary neighbors, passing pedestrians, and shop clerks around him could hide "indigenous people," then the authenticity and complexity of this world would far exceed his initial imagination.

He not only had to face an unknown mastermind but might also be in a giant social labyrinth.

Thinking of this, he put down his tableware, paid the bill, and left.

Walking out of the restaurant, the sun filled the streets, the flow of people was like weaving, and it was a scene of prosperity and peace.

Jie Ming stood on the street, looking at this vivid and huge world.

For the first time, he felt so clearly that what he had to face might not just be a cage trapping them.

It was more likely a—giant living thing that was running normally, possessing its own will and rules.

And they, these two million wizards, were just tiny specks of dust that had accidentally broken into its body and were being slowly "digested" or "assimilated" by it.

> ===== CHAPTER 351 =====